Bee thefts threaten SA’s pollination services

The theft of bee hives by unscrupulous syndicates, vandals and beekeepers in South Africa is cause for serious concern and poses a threat to the country’s pollination industry, which is crucial for macadamia nuts, blueberries, kiwi fruit and other industries in need of pollination services.

This was according to Kai Hichert, vice-chairperson of the Southerns Beekeeping Association and board member of the South African Bee Industry Organisation (SABIO).

Hichert said pollination of crops required about four beehives per hectare, and with about 180 000 registered colonies in the country, there was a serious shortage of not only beehives, but registered beekeepers.

Theft and destruction of beehives posed a threat to pollinators as well as to beekeepers, who suffered extensive financial losses for every beehive stolen or destroyed.

“The cost of one beehive is around R2 000, but if it’s stocked with bees and full of honey, the losses can be around R5 500 per hive, and depending on the number of boxes you have, can be worth millions of rands.”

Hichert said another problem was keeping hives safe when colonies were moved, as well as keeping the hives in a place where there was enough forage.

He said some unscrupulous beekeepers stole their fellow beekeepers’ hives and then sold the honeybees to third parties who provided pollinator services. The honey from the hives was also stolen.

“Often, when the honey is stolen, the boxes and the colonies are completely destroyed.”

Theft of beehives was frequently left unreported, as it was nearly impossible for beekeepers to prove ownership of the bees.

Hichert said the pollination of crops in the country was, however, the most important aspect; honey was only a by-product of this.

Lizel Pretorius, CEO at Macadamias South Africa (SAMAC), told Farmer’s Weekly the organisation currently had 846 grower-members and there were already approximately 50 133ha of macadamias established in South Africa. She added that, in a 2020 survey among growers, 72% had indicated that research into pollination was a high priority, as the benefits of cross-pollination between trees on macadamia yields and quality were well-documented.

Two SAMAC research projects had shown that between 48% and 52% higher yields were achieved with cross-pollination.

Pretorius said that, through its association with SABIO, SAMAC had become aware of hive theft and vandalism.

“As the number of hives available to service the industry is already limited, this can negatively impact the macadamia industry,” she said. – Pieter Dempsey